The Final Act of Living
by Catharsiss-BridgetteHayden
Summary: The war is over and Harry isn't taking no for an answer. His advances force Severus to look back at his life choices. He has to consider that the only way to stop Harry's misguided pursuit, is to tell him the truth. He's Harry's father. His birth-father. And even that might not be enough to keep Harry's hands off of him. One shot. WARNINGS: IMPLIED INCEST, IMPLIED MPREG.


This is a companion piece to the story, Unbearable-Harry (Tea with Severus). It takes place outside of the main story, and is a glimpse of what's to come, though it may not play out exactly this way. One shot. WARNINGS: IMPLIED INCEST, IMPLIED MPREG.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this. JK is the real genius, I'm just playing.

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WARNINGS: IMPLIED INCEST, IMPLIED MPREG. This is a continuation of the Masterpiece/Unbearable - Harry plot. If you haven't read those, you might not get this.

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We see a mature man in his last act. We do not see the seventeen year-old who did his best to keep from having James Potter's child, and failed.

We have no idea what this wizard did, not only to keep his son a secret, but to keep Harry Potter alive.

From James to Voldemort, Snape acquired a graceful acceptance of abuse. His willingness to play that part, kept thousands alive. Hiding his connection to Harry, became subterfuge, and he did it masterfully. He resigned himself to a life of war, and perhaps to an early grave. He resigned himself to Voldemort's bed and to Voldemort's blade. He did not fear death.

But he did have fears, and the worst of them came in the form of Harry one day discovering the truth. The worst of them came in the form of surviving the war. Snape never intended to survive. He never wanted to have to contend with an exceptional son who needed answers, who hunted him down and demanded them. With a son so full of forgiveness and love, the complete opposite of him, that Harry's ignorance spilled over into an intimacy that had Harry pursuing, and Severus fighting to get away from him.

This wasn't like the damaged symbiosis that kept Snape a martyr in other men's twisted shadows. This was his child. A grown man. A hero. Harry's absurd optimism has him thinking that his old professor is merely a challenge, is merely playing hard to get, in their mutual need to heal from the past. He thinks love will conquer all. He thinks he can get Snape alone, and get his arms around him, and the wizard will dissolve into his humanity. Severus blames himself for Harry's savior complex. No one saved Harry, not really.

It only made sense that the boy was obsessed with undoing the damage he'd witnessed Voldemort inflict that night in the boathouse. Harry had also seen the memories of James Potter's abuse, and wanted to be the one to remove that weight from Snape's shoulders. Each time he took Snape in his arms, he gave his former professor another reason not to tell him that he was Harry's father. Harry's birth-father.

That story was a long and difficult one. Snape could only push Harry away so many times, each time risking an angrier and angrier young man, who had a right to know. He wasn't going to win this one. Harry had too much willpower, too much insistence. Either he was getting old, or Harry was wearing him down. Either way, he knew this would end with Harry getting what he wanted. He couldn't fight the boy's love forever. And god knew, Harry was in such command of himself, of his body and his passion, in a way that Snape had never been, that there was a chance he'd get a lot more than the truth. Ever since their reunion, Harry had a way of touching him without asking permission. One more dinner like the other night, and the question of incest would no longer be a threat. It would be a fact.

He didn't want that. But Harry had a way of talking with his hands, of taking liberties. Of stealing kisses. Slapping him had done no good. Reminding him of their precarious relationship, had only fanned some flame. Now that Harry knew he was alive, there seemed to be no putting the docile animal back in its cage. Harry could not be convinced that life had to be lived on any other terms. He wasn't taking no for an answer.

Perhaps telling him the truth, was the only way to prevent what was coming. But Snape had a sinking feeling that even that wouldn't be enough.

End

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Top stories by this writer: Unbearable Series


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